JACK WALKER was a man who made dreams come true.

He lifted his beloved Blackburn Rovers, a team he had supported since he was a toddler, from obscurity to the heady heights of number one spot in the Premiership.

But before that he and his brother, Fred had become legends in the world of industry.

Their dynamic leadership converted the tiny company launched by their father into one of Europe's largest steel stock holders.

They created hundreds of jobs at the huge complex in Guide and in smaller supplier companies throughout East Lancashire at a time when traditional industries were crumbling and the unemployment situation was becoming desperate.

Many who thought they were facing years on the dole found they had a job for life at Walkersteel.

Following the sale of the company, Jack Walker was able to devote more time to his role of Rovers number one fan.

The turn round was staggering and he put the team back on the world soccer map within a few seasons, culminating in the Premiership championship in 1995.

On the way he transformed a tired-looking Ewood Park into one Europe's finest soccer stadiums and created state-of-the-art training facilities in the Ribble Valley.

Suddenly, big name soccer personalities were happy to head for Blackburn, a town whose team had not tasted glory since the early years of the 20th century.

Who would have linked Dalglish and Shearer with Rovers before the arrival of Jack Walker?

Jack shunned the limelight. But his generosity went far beyond the confines of his football club.

Over the years he gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to charities in East Lancashire and nationally.

The man who did so much for this part of the world spent his later years in Jersey.

But he was never happier than when he was stepping through what he saw as the hallowed portals of Ewood Park.

Sadly, he was never made a Freeman of the Borough, an omission that has puzzled many.

Surely a belated honour of this type would not be out of place for a man who, in a few short years, made more impact on the industrial and sporting scenes in Blackburn than any other in living memory.